Aliases are alternative forms of a reference. They can include actual aliases for characters, nicknames, plural variations, gendered versions of some [Classes], and even typos.
Orjin sighed. He looked down at Salii and saw some of the sun’s light shining off her dusty, brown scales. She was a Drake, a rarity in Chandrar. She was also a [Secretary], or some class similar to that. If she was asking, it meant something was happening that required Orjin’s presence.
Orjin said that as a certainty. If that had been the case, Salii would have told him already. She shook her head, looking peeved as she saw him flip. One hand was suddenly supporting him as he held perfectly still, balancing upright. It was an impressive physical feat, but even Orjin couldn’t maintain it for more than a second. Then he lost his balance and the tower of rocks came falling down. So did he, but he turned and landed neatly on the ground. Salii stepped back as the rocks fell around her. She swished her tail.
Orjin said that as a certainty. If that had been the case, Salii would have told him already. She shook her head, looking peeved as she saw him flip. One hand was suddenly supporting him as he held perfectly still, balancing upright. It was an impressive physical feat, but even Orjin couldn’t maintain it for more than a second. Then he lost his balance and the tower of rocks came falling down. So did he, but he turned and landed neatly on the ground. Salii stepped back as the rocks fell around her. She swished her tail.
The man sat on the ground, sighing. Salii sat with him, and he looked at her, attentive, if not quite happy. He was no [King], or ruler in the sense of having a class. Perhaps he should have one, but Orjin of Pomle had no desire to be a leader. The fact that he was one was purely coincidental and had no bearing on how he lived his life. Most of the time, that was.
Orjin sighed louder. Of course, he’d suspected that would be the case. He thought about refusing, or walking off. Salii couldn’t stop him if he did, but…she was Salii.
Orjin sighed louder. Of course, he’d suspected that would be the case. He thought about refusing, or walking off. Salii couldn’t stop him if he did, but…she was Salii.
No one regulated them. Or at least, no one actively made the people pay taxes or follow any rules. Troublemakers were dealt with. Murder and crime were also not tolerated; Pomle’s warriors would take matters into their own hands. Only two things held any sway over Pomle. That was the tradition of the Strongest, and Salii.
One of those obligations was listening to Salii. No one could quite remember when she’d appeared. It had to be five years ago? At least. But one day she’d shown up and started ordering people about. And they had listened mostly, because she had good ideas. Like how to settle quarrels over bathing. Organizing a place for children to play where adults wouldn’t accidentally intrude. Even convincing a [Mage] to draw some runes of preservation so food could be stored.
Things like that. Orjin hadn’t questioned Salii at first, and she’d gotten him to do any number of tasks he wouldn’t normally, from sorting out troublemakers to quelling monsters. He didn’t mind that; monster fighting was good practice. But sometimes she had requests like these.
He stood up. Salii watched him leap over the collapsed pile of rocks, and run towards a tall plateau of orange-red rock that defined Pomle’s geography. Orjin wasn’t long; he moved fast and before more than two minutes had passed he was running past, with a more formal skirt made of bright, colored cotton, and a loose cape of some kind of animal or monster hide. He still had no clothing on his upper body, though.
Orjin nodded. He walked across the bare, cracked earth with Salii. She was fully clothed and wore shoes; he did not. He was barefoot, but he didn’t feel the heat radiating up from the ground. Nor did he sweat as much as the Drake. The two headed towards a distant spot where a small stand of trees had grown up, and water gathered.
